3 top education stories

The latest data from the DfE, released on June 5, highlights a continuing shift in England’s school landscape, with pupil numbers falling and free school meal (FSM) eligibility increasing.

In January 2025, the total number of pupils across all schools in England stood at just over 9 million, down by 59,600 (0.7%) compared to the previous year.

This decrease, while modest, continues a trend that reflects wider demographic changes and falling birth rates in recent years. The figures cover all school types, including state-funded and independent institutions.

Despite the dip in pupil numbers, the total number of schools rose slightly, with 24,479 schools recorded – an increase of 26 from 2024.

Alarmingly, one of the most notable changes is the rise in FSM eligibility. Now, 25.7% of pupils (nearly 2.2 million) are eligible for FSM. This represents a 1% increase from the previous year, signalling continuing pressures on family finances across England.

The DfE has provided extra guidance to academy trusts on how to invest surplus funds, while acknowledging that financial reserves have fallen.

The changes come in an update to non-statutory guidance on how trusts should manage reserves.

It estimates that around 80% of trusts hold reserves worth at least 5% of their total income.

Reserves below this threshold are seen as potentially indicative of financial vulnerability, although some larger trusts or those without significant investment or growth plans “may decide to maintain reserves below this level”, the guidance says.

The move comes after an investigation showed how some MATs had tripled their returns from investments, prompting calls for guidance on the best and safest ways to do this.

CST chief executive Leora Cruddas said: “This updated guidance is welcome, giving trusts parameters for how to safely invest any reserves to maximise potential income while taking into account their particular circumstances.”

The latest DfE statistics on the school workforce in England were published last week. The data paints a cautiously optimistic picture, with improved retention rates for new teachers and a notable drop in vacancies across the sector.

As of 2024, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers stands at 468,300 – a slight decrease of 400 compared to the previous year. While the overall teacher workforce has dipped marginally, the number of teaching assistants has grown significantly, rising by 5,900 to 288,800. This increase suggests a growing reliance on wider support staff to meet the needs of pupils and schools.

Encouragingly, retention rates for newly qualified teachers have improved.

9 in 10 teachers remain in the profession one year after qualifying, with 80.5% of those who qualified in 2022 still teaching in state-funded schools (up from 79.2% in the previous cohort).

Alongside this, more teachers are returning to the classroom, and the number of vacancies and temporary cover posts fell in November 2024 after 3 consecutive years of increases.